It's the New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of their second round matchup taking off on Sunday as these top Eastern Conference teams meet up for a best of seven series. Having troubel finding a live stream and can't watch the game? Check out the radio live stream available, but first, let's look at these matchups.
The Knicks are coming off a tough series against the Boston Celtics. The Celtics and the Pacers have one thing in common, they are a scrappy and physical bunch. They also have a very distinct style of play than the Knicks, which should present an interesting battle throughout the series.
The Pacers are all about their defense. It's difficult to point out a dominant scorer in the Pacers. At least in the Knicks you know it's all about Anthony, but for the Pacers, any guy can finish with a game-high. They have speed and length in their lineup, which will challenge the Knicks to get into the paint. The Pacers function off their defense.
Meanwhile, the Knicks are heavily oriented by their offense. Yes, the Knicks can play defense, but they usually buckle down on their defensive efforts when starting the game or when they are trying to finish strong. They held the Celtics to 25 points in the second half of Game 1, while they only allowed 24 points in the second half of Game 2.
For the Pacers, well, they played a weak offensive team. Al Horford led the Atlanta Hawks in scoring, it wasn't Josh Smith doing all the work in Atlanta, but the Pacers were able to shut the Hawks down whenever they had their defensive scheme running problem. So far, on the road the Pacers are 1-2. They were able to clinch Game 6 in Atlanta. The Knicks are 2-1 at home as they were unable to clinch Game 5 of their series against the Celtics at home.
Which will prevail? Defense and average scorers vs. the league's scoring champion and Sixth Man of the Year. Can the 2013 Knicks and Pacers rewrite history and entertain fans with what once was one of the sickets rivalries in the game?
